This invention relates to a video game device and a video game programs to be executed by a processing unit in cooperation with a display device for displaying an image of an appearance image of a character, and more particularly, it relates to the display of characters, such as human beings, animals or fictional characters, which appear in a video game.
Conventionally, there exist a variety of techniques for representing characters appearing in a video game.
One example of such a technique is a method wherein the capabilities and the states of a character are represented by combining a plurality of numerical values. For example, capabilities, such as strength, agility, endurance, charisma, knowledge, intelligence, etc., and physical and psychological states, such as height, weight, physical and mental fatigue, etc., are expressed by numerical values and attributed to each character individually, these numerical values being reflected in the actions performed by the character and producing different results in each character. Moreover, by altering these numerical values as the game progresses, it is possible to represent temporal changes in any particular character, for example, increases in capabilities as the character grows.
There also exist methods whereby the state of a character is represented by a list of the items in the character""s possession, or of items of equipment being carried or worn by the character. This method involves displaying which items the character possesses, and which of those items the character is equipped with.
In many cases, these methods are combined in order to display a character in combination with the capability values and possessed items relating to that character. In this case, the capability values for the character are revised according to the items that the character is equipped with.
Yet a further method for representing a character involves displaying an appearance image of the character. For example, such a method may involve displaying the appearance image of the character in a state where the character is wearing clothing that is most symbolic of its role, and displaying the current position of the character on a map, or it may involve displaying a top-half image of the character, on a screen which displays the current state of a particular character to the player. This type of method may also be combined with representation based on capability values and possessed items.
In conventional methods for representing a character, the appearance image of a character displayed on an image does not alter, even if the items of equipment being carried or worn by the character change. This is because in conventional games, items of equipment are only regarded as being important with respect to revisions to the capability values, but changes in the appearance image of a character due to changes in the items of equipment carried or worn by the character are ignored, as is the effect of the appearance image of the items being carried or worn by the character on the psychological state of the character.
However, in the case of actual human beings, tastes with regard to clothes vary between each person, and therefore if someone is forced to wear clothes that do not particularly suit their own tastes, that person will be affected psychologically and emotionally. In conventional character representation methods, it has not been possible to represent human psychology of this kind.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a character, a program for displaying the appearance image of a character, and an image display device, whereby displayed appearance image of a character changes in accordance with different items of equipment carried or worn by the character, and moreover, changes caused by the psychological state of the character in response to the different items with which the character is equipped can also be represented.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention provides a method, an image display program, and an image display device for displaying an appearance image of a character equipped with a item, as described below.
According to this invention, the method for displaying, on an image display device, an appearance image of a character equipped with at least one item, comprises a preparing step of preparing reference character image data representative of a reference state image of the character free from any item and item image data representative of images of items to be equipped by the character, a selecting step of selecting the at least one item from the item image data, a composing step of composing the reference character image data and at least one item image data selected to provide a composed image data, and a displaying step of displaying composed image data as the appearance image. The reference character image data may show the whole body of the character is decided into a plurality of part image data each of which shows a part of body of the character. The top-half image of the character may be displayed in the displaying step.
Further, this method may comprises a step of designating a portion of the composed image data displayed in the displaying step, and a step of displaying the enlarged image of the portion on the image display device.
The character may have a set of numeral values each of which depends on a specific attribute of the character. In this case, the item has correctional values for modifying the numeral value set.
the correctional values may represent the magnitude of the effect imparted to the character equipped with the item.
In order to display appearance images of a plurality of characters, each of the characters is displayed by the method.
The set of numeral values may be grouped into a subset of numeral values each of which is indicative to a psychological parameter related to a psychological condition of the character. In this case, the psychological parameter may represent a degree of a friendship between the character.
The preparing step may prepare a plurality of background image data and the displaying step may display selected one of the background image data in accordance with the psychological parameter.
For example, the character is of the video game program in which actions of the character are commanded by an input device. In this case, the number of actions available for commanding may depend on the psychological parameters of the character. Further, the correctional values may depend on the number of times that the video game program is finished.
The preparing step may prepare sound source data each of which is linked to a part of the appearance image of the character. In this case, the displaying step comprise a step of designating a portion of the composed image data displayed in the displaying step and a step of reproducing the sound source data linked to the designated portion.
For example, the items comprise clothing, accessories, and portable weapons.
Further, according to this invention, the image display program, to be executed by a processing unit in cooperation with a display device for displaying an image of an appearance image of a character, includes a selecting process of selecting at least one item to be equipped by the character, an accessing process of accessing reference character image data representative of a reference state image of the character free from any item and item image data representative of images of the selected items, a composing process of composing the reference character image data and at least one item image data selected to provide a composed image data, and a displaying process of displaying composed image data as the appearance image. The reference character image data may show the whole body of the character is divided into a plurality of part image data each of which shows a part of body of the character.
Furthermore, according to this invention, the image display device, for displaying an image of an appearance image of a character, comprises a storage device which stores reference character image data representative of a reference state image of the character free from any item and item image data representative of images of items to be equipped by the character, means for selecting an item of which item image data is stored in the storage device, means for composing the reference character image data and the item image data corresponding to selected items, and means for creating a sequence of signals for displaying a screen image from the composed image by the means for composing. The reference character image data may show the whole body of the character is divided into a plurality of part image data each of which shows a part of body of the character. A video game device may comprise this image display device.